Airbus Helicopters signed a Memorandum of Understanding with LOM PRAHA s.p. for a future cooperation in the field of helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul. The agreement is in the frame of the Czech Republic’s MoD tender for new multipurpose helicopters, as the country is looking to replace its legacy Mi-8/-17/-24.

US State Department approved a $70mn FMS toTurkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Turkey for Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $70 million, the US Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015.

Taiwan has grounded its fleet of 29 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, as a result of corrosion, according to a Taipei Times report. Major General Huang Kuo-ming, who is the commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, said that after a preliminary assessment they found extensive oxidation in the metal components of the tail rotor gearbox.

New task force planned by South Korea to take charge of KF-X fighter development program

South Korea plans to launch a new project team which will take charge of the faltering fighter jet development program before the end of this year, an official from the country's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. "For the success of the KF-X project, which is invested with huge funds and spawned technology development controversy, the project team will be established under the wing of the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration," the official said.

QinetiQ to evaluate upgrade to RAF Chinook Automatic Flight Control System

QinetiQ has been awarded a GPB5.2 million (USD 8mn) contract from the British Ministry of Defence in order to evaluate the possibility of an upgrade to the CH-47 Chinook’s Automatic Flight Control System. The evaluation is part of the MoD’s requirement to upgrade the Chinook Mk3 and Mk4/4A by integrating the JULIUS Cockpit Display System / Mission Avionic System and a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS).

Government of Turkey announced to provide Pakistan 34 T-37 training and light attack training aircraft and its spare parts on a free basis. According to Dawn News, Pakistan and Turkey signed a landmark defence cooperation agreement Wednesday under which Turkey will provide Pakistan with 34 T-37 training and light attack training aircraft and its spare parts on a gratis basis.

Lockheed Martin received a $76 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for follow-on production of Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits. The contract represents the majority share of fiscal year 2015 funding, as well as 100 percent of available funding for Foreign Military Sales. Deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2016 and include the guidance and tail assemblies for GBU-10 and GBU-12 LGBs.

The United States Air Force has recently received two more MC-130J Commando II aircraft from Lockheed Martin. The aircraft will replace the older MC-130E/P Combat Talon. Of the two aircraft one will be operated from the Kadena Air Base in Japan and the other from the RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

US plans to deliver four light ISR planes to Jordan for border surveillance missions

US plans to deliver four small ISR aircraft to the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces, the USAF announced in a "Justification and Approval document" on Oct. 21, 2015. According to this J&A document, the four aircraft are now heading to a new home with the RJAF. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group and defense contractor L-3 Communications are to fit powerful cameras and other gear onto four heavily modified AT-802 crop-dusters originally purchased for Yemen.

Sikorsky Aircraft yesterday announced the successful first flight of the U.S. Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter prototype, known as Engineering Development Model-1 (EDM-1). The 30-minute flight signals the beginning of a 2,000-hour flight test program using four test aircraft.

Sukhoi handed over new batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air Force

The Sukhoi Company handed over another batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Air and Space Forces according to the 2015 State Defense Order, the Russian aircraft manufacturer announced Wednesday Oct. 28. The aircraft took off from the V.P.Chkalov Novosibirsk Aircraft Plant’s airfield and headed to the place of their deployment.

Northrop Grumman has beaten out a team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the highly-anticipated contract to build the U.S. Air Force‘s Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) plane, US Defense Department officials announced Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. The bomber is slated to be ready for initial combat use by 2025.

Boeing’s first test KC-46A aircraft has arrived at USAF’s Edwards Air Force Base where it is scheduled to carry out a series of tests in cooperation with the 418th Flight Test Squadron. These include Ground Effects and Fuel Onload Fatigue testing of the platform, which are expected to last for a period of two weeks. The platform has arrived in California, from Seattle, with a combined Boeing and USAF crew of pilots and engineers.

The new Canadian government intends to start from scratch the programme for the new fighter aircraft to replace the Boeing CF-18, according to Reuters. The newly elected Liberals have decided to scrap the Lockheed Martin F-35 acquisition plans and seek a more affordable solution. A new request for proposals will be issued along with a new list of specifications that will have nothing to do with the previously submitted bids.

Russian new aerial refueling aircraft, Il-78M-90A, can additionally carry up to 110 tons of fuel thanks to two extra tanks, Sergei Dementyev, Aviastar-SP Company’s Director-General, reported. "The next year’s job is to send the Il-78M-90A into the air. This is the first flying prototype to undergo acceptance trials. We look forward to signing a contract based on results obtained," he noted.

A JL-9 training plane conducted its first flight training at a training base under the Aviation University of the PLA Air Force on the morning of Oct. 18, marking the JL-9 training plane has been introduced into the pilot cadets training of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), the Chinese MoD announced on its website on Oct. 26, 2015.

Lockheed Martin delivered the 31st C-5M Super Galaxy to the U. S. Air Force on Oct. 23. A crew from the 22nd Airlift Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Travis Air Force Base, California, ferried the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin facility here to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, where it will undergo internal paint restoration.

The Japanese government said Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, it has selected Boeing Co.'s KC-46A as country's new aerial tanker, and plans to begin adding the aircraft to the Air Self-Defense Force fleet from around fiscal 2020. Japan's Defense Ministry plans to buy three air tankers under the country's medium-term defense buildup program through fiscal 2018, which underscored the need to enhance the capability to protect remote islands.

China starts testing the Yuanmeng, a new type of helium stratospheric reconnaissance airship

China began testing on a new type of helium stratospheric airship. The Yuanmeng aircraft can reach a height of 100 kilometers and conduct reconnaissance without being seen by other aircraft or rockets. China has reportedly tested a high-altitude airship (HAA) to an altitude of 20 km, local medias said.